


Buried in Water

by siximpossiblethings



Series: buried in water [1]
Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: 1930s, Alternate Universe - 1930s, Alternate Universe - Ghosts, F/M, Ghosts, Work In Progress
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-07
Updated: 2013-06-07
Packaged: 2017-12-14 06:34:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/833835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/siximpossiblethings/pseuds/siximpossiblethings
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Enjolras moves into an old house by the sea as a favor for his uncle. Little does he know, the space is already occupied and has been for years since it was abandoned.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Buried in Water

**Author's Note:**

> this has been an AU i've been meaning to write for such a long time and i finally got up to writing the first part today. i'm not entirely sure how long this will take, but i'll be updating as quickly as possible! this would have been longer, but i have to do some things unfortunately. happy reading!

The house is old and rickety, just like the owners bones.

Enjolras’ uncle has owned it for years, the rooms left cold and abandoned. He thinks it’s belonged to the family for at least a century, but Enjolras has never actually been there. He’s only heard stories of the parties that used to be given there, fine young women with newly cropped hair and short dresses dancing under gilded lights.

When he was younger, it sounded like a fairytale. Now, it sounds too bourgeoisie for his taste.

The year is 1938 and Enjolras has somehow been convinced to take care of the old place. It’s summer now, the air filled with salt. The house is close to the beach, standing on a little bed of rocks that he thinks were put there just for decoration. The white paint has chipped off in places, the wood has gone soft from the looks of it. There are a number of dark windows looking out towards the water, the lull of the waves relaxing. Enjolras can already imagine the parties that had taken place here, with the beach welcoming people right along, when the house was in its prime.

He steps out of the car, already regretting his decision to try to keep the house together. When he had agreed to his uncle’s offer, Enjolras had imagined he would be able to get some work done. The beach looks like it’s empty today, but he already knows that people will be flocking to it in no time. He can’t deny its beauty, though. The sand looks like brown sugar and the blue water is a reflection of the sky.

Sighing, Enjolras picks up his suitcase and searches for the key in his pocket. He opens the door and is greeted by a cold, damp, dark hallway.

~

The electricity in the house works fine, despite having been unused for so long. He makes a mental note to have the fixtures checked once he’s all settled in. Upon walking into the house, Enjolras couldn’t shake the feeling of coldness in his bones. It bit at his skin and he’s positive that if it hadn’t been summer, he would have been able to see his breath.

Enjolras decides to unpack later, too tired from the drive to do anything too heavy. He walks into the old parlor, white sheets covering the furniture. Shaking his head, Enjolras takes one of the corners of the sheet and pulls it off. A green sofa is revealed under a cloud of dust that gets in his eyes. He coughs and makes a mental note to get some cleaning done later.

His uncle told him he would be sending out a cleaning lady sometime that week, despite Enjolras’ protests. He knows that he needs it now, with the disarray the house has fallen into. Covering his nose as he takes off the rest of the sheets, Enjolras despairs at the summer that lies ahead of him. Combeferre, Courfeyrac, Joly, Jehan, Grantaire, and even Marius are all back in Paris, doing their summer work in the city.

Enjolras knew he had been stupid when he agreed to watch after this stupid old house. There’s nothing to do in a resort town when you’re not a tourist, let alone anything to try to improve. Enjolras’ summer will be one of books and loneliness interrupted by an occasional visit from one of his friends, who promised to visit.

Enjolras wonders just how much solitude he can take before he goes mad.

~

“Did you see the car rolled up at Monsieur Gabriel’s old place?”

“A car? No one’s lived there since ’23, you know that.”

“Someone’s moved in. I think it’s a relative.”

“You’re nuts. That house is practically sea wood by now.”

“I swear, there’s a car! I saw a young guy walking up with suitcases. He looks a little like the old man, same hair.”

“He won’t last the night. I bet you 10 francs.”

“As if you’ve got 10 francs to spend! He’ll leave sooner or later, anyway. No one stays in that house without goin’ mad after a while.”

~

The noises begin not too long after he finishes unpacking. Enjolras is in bed, sitting up reading a book for one of his classes next year. He runs a finger through his hair, a headache already starting to form. He regrets the choices in courses he’s made for next year already and it’s only his first night in the house and he knows he’ll end up driving himself crazy.

Reading the same sentence for what’s probably the fifth time, Enjolras hears footsteps.

His gaze rises to the shut door that leads to the hallway. Enjolras’ room feels ten degrees colder than it was a moment ago, leading him to grip tight to his blankets. The floorboards outside his room creak again and he’s sure he can hear a giggle this time.

Enjolras is not a man who is often scared. He is not someone who will run with the bulls or try other stupid stunts, but he is not afraid. He doesn’t like jumping to conclusions. He is logical and clear minded.

Enjolras is very afraid now.

 _It’s just the wind,_ he tells himself. He tries returning to his book, hoping to at least finish this chapter before he gets to bed.

 _Creak._ A laugh is heard from outside along with more creaks.

Deciding that he has to check what the hell is going on, Enjolras tucks the numbing fear away for a moment. He gets out of bed and opens the door, causing the hallway to light up with a dim orange glow from his nightstand lamp. Enjolras steps out into the hallway, causing the same creaking sound he heard before, and looks down the row of rooms.

Nothing. Nothing at all.

Enjolras doesn’t know whether he should be relieved or more worried, but he tells himself that it really was nothing. Just the wind, like he thought before.

“Just the wind,” he says, attempting to reassure himself, ignoring the fact that it hasn’t even been a full night and he is already talking to himself.

Enjolras shuts the light off as he crawls into bed and falls asleep, gripping the sheets tight. He is even afraid in his sleep.

~

Out in the hallway, a figure glides across the floorboards. She likes the noises they make, the high pitched sounds coming from airy wood. The young man hadn’t seen her, not yet anyway. He had heard her though, giggling at his frustration with a book of all things.

Books were something she missed. There hadn’t been anything added to the library since 1923. She hoped that maybe the new person living here would bring something interesting along with him. So far, all she had seen were books and still unpacked suit cases.

 _There was no fun in that_ , she thought to herself. In order for her to make herself known, the young man had to at least make an attempt at wanting to stay. There was no use in going to all that trouble just for someone to leave after a night.

The waves crashed against the shore outside and she looked out the window at the end of the hallway. The glass was cracked in places, but the moon shone brilliantly through it anyway. The waves crashed again and she descended the stairs.

After all these years, she still couldn’t stand the sound of water.


End file.
